A Blog Called Hope

Chairman Lynch sits in studio with WPRO’s John Depetro this morning to discuss the governor’s use of taxpayer money to support his right-wing political agenda. If you agree, like we do, that this was a gross abuse of the governor’s authority and a misappropriation of your tax dollars call into the show by dialing (401) 438-9776 or 1-800-321-9776.

Here’s the story from today’s ProJo.

The details of the arrangement were released yesterday shortly after Lynch filed an open records request with the governor’s office regarding Bopp’s work. Lynch asserted that the brief was filed to promote Carcieri’s personal views and should have been paid for with personal money.

“We all know what the governor’s position is on these issues,” Lynch said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate [for him] to use state tax money to advance his own personal opinion on this issue.”

The governor’s office has responded (finally) and you’re not going to believe what they had to say.

No, Mike, it has nothing to do with the Governor voicing his personal opinion. As Chairman Lynch said earlier today, if the governor wants to oppose marriages of same sex spouses, that’s his right. He just can’t stick the taxpayers with the bill.

What bill?

Per WPRO AM, Spokesguy Mike Maynard says the governor’s office expects to receive a bill of “no more than $15,000.” for the Bopp brief. 15 large for a document that was less than 40 pages long?? That’s about $416 a page! Sounds like good work if you can get it. The governor has no official role in the matter that was considered by the Supreme Court.

So, at the end of the day, he doled out $15 grand to a ring-wing Republican buddy to publicly state something everyone already knew: The governor opposes marriage equality!

The bottom line is simple. The governor is using taxpayer money to advance his own personal, political agenda. It’s wrong. It’s an abuse or power. And we’re going to make sure Rhode Islanders know about it.

No, we’re not talking about a Hanson comeback tour…

Today Rhode Island Democratic Party Chairman Bill Lynch filed a Freedom of Information Act request with Governor Carcieri’s office seeking details of how much right-wing Republican attorney James Bopp was paid to file a friend-of-the-court brief with the Rhode Island Supreme Court on behalf of the governor.

“The governor is using taxpayer money to advocate his personal opinion, and whether you’re for or against marriages of same sex spouses, you have to be outraged by that. This is nothing less than a gross abuse of the governor’s authority, and I believe Mr. Carcieri should be held accountable,” Lynch said.

Bopp has been a zealous defender of right-wing candidates and special interest groups charged with skirting and sometimes shattering campaign finance and election laws. In fact, as the chairman points out in today’s release, Bopp was the man picked to represent Carcieri and the Rhode Island GOP for committing the most egregious violation of campaign finance law in the state’s history.

Some of Bopp’s other notable clients have included the Christian Broadcasting Network; Traditional Values Coalition; the Christian Coalition, as well as the Republican parties of Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Texas, and Vermont.

In June, Chairman Lynch questioned the governor’s management ability after a story in the Providence Journal exposed another no-bid deal engineered by the Carcieri administration that could end up costing the taxpayers close to four million dollars. No one in Carcieri’s office could explain how Sutherland Asbill, a high-profile Washington law firm, was picked to handle the state’s case against Southern Union, who the state contends is responsible for an environmental nightmare in Tiverton.

And while the administration has still failed to fully explain why there was no public bidding process in the Southern Union case, Carcieri’s own ties to Bopp and Bopp’s backing of GOP presidential wannabe Mitt Romney (who Carcieri supports), may offer insight into how and why he got the job.

FBI and IRS agents raided the Alaskan home of Sen. Ted Stevens yesterday looking for information on a 2000 substantial remodeling project supervised by Bill Allen, a contractor and supporter that has already plead guilty to bribing Alaskan state legislators.

Stevens said in a written statement that his lawyers were told Monday morning that federal agents “wished to search my home in Girdwood in connection with an ongoing investigation. I continue to believe this investigation should proceed to its conclusion without any appearance that I have attempted to influence its outcome. I will continue my policy of not commenting on this investigation until it has concluded.”